Thermosome, an IZB-based drug development company specializing in targeted tumor therapies, announced the appointment of Dr. Frank Hermann, MD, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the expansion of its Clinical Advisory Board with the addition of Prof. Alessandro Gronchi, MD.

Dr. Frank Hermann, MD, is a proficient clinical oncology professional with extensive experience in medical affairs, clinical research, and development. Before joining Thermosome, Frank Hermann was Vice President Clinical Development at CatalYm GmbH. Prior to that, he was Senior Director Clinical Development Oncology at BioNTech SE and Chief Development Officer at 4SC AG. Earlier in his career, Frank Hermann worked in medical affairs and clinical development at Bristol-Myers Squibb, most recently as Associate Medical Director Immuno-Oncology. Frank Hermann studied medicine at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, where he also obtained his Board Certification in Pediatrics and worked for several years as an assistant physician and research assistant in the field of pediatric oncology, hematology and radiology at the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg. He succeeds Thermosome´s previous Chief Development Officer Dr. Klaus Fischer, who has held a freelance, part-time role and will continue to work as a consultant for Thermosome.

Prof. Alessandro Gronchi, MD, is a surgeon specializing in sarcomas (STS). He is Chair of the Surgical Department at the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano, Milan (Italy) and has been Chief of the Sarcoma Service at the institute since 2001. Prof. Gronchi serves on the board of directors of the Italian Sarcoma Group (ISG) and of the European Society of Surgical Oncology (ESSO) and the executive council of the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO). Moreover, he is past President of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) and the Italian Society of Surgical Oncology (SICO) and past Chair of the European Organization for Research and Treatment in Cancer (EORTC) – Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group (STBSG). Finally, he is one of the initiators of a global collaborative effort on retroperitoneal sarcoma (Trans-atlantic Australasian RetroPeritoneal Sarcoma Working Group, TARPSWG), which involves over 200 institutions worldwide. Prof. Gronchi is Principal Investigator of several international controlled clinical trials on sarcomas, fibromatosis and gastrointestinal stromal tumors and has authored more than 500 scientific publications (Scopus h-index 96). He serves as Associate Editor of Annals of Surgical Oncology, Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology, Therapeutics Advances in Medical Oncology and Updates in Surgery.

“We are very pleased that Frank is joining Thermosome as Chief Medical Officer,” said Dr. Pascal Schweizer, co-founder, and CEO/CFO of Thermosome. “He has a strong twenty-year track record as a clinician and in development and is very experienced in advancing novel cancer drugs through clinical development. Moreover, it is an honor to welcome Prof. Alessandro Gronchi to our Clinical Advisory Board. He is one of the leading European sarcoma experts and is a widely recognized authority in this field. Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Klaus, who has developed and led the transformation of Thermosome into a clinical-stage biotech company.” “I am excited to join Thermosome at this important development stage,” added Dr. Frank Hermann, Chief Medical Officer at Thermosome. “I look forward to further advancing the Company´s lead program THE001 through clinical development. There is a significant unmet medical need for targeted tumor therapies that are designed to eliminate soft tissue sarcomas with improved precision and potency – and this is exactly where THE001 comes into play.”

Thermosome combines targeted tumor therapies with immune stimulation for improved cancer therapy
Thermosome is a clinical-stage drug development company focused on targeted tumor therapy combined with immune stimulation for improved cancer therapy. At its core is a novel, proprietary tumor targeting approach that allows for significantly increased local drug concentrations and improved tumor penetration to achieve improved clinical treatment efficacy. The first clinical indication for its lead drug candidate THE001 is soft tissue sarcoma, where the Company aims to improve the current standard of care (free doxorubicin). Thermosome’s approach enables targeted tumor treatment independent of specific molecular targets and covers patient populations across all tumor subtypes. More information: www.thermosome.com

About THE001
Thermosome’s clinical-stage lead drug candidate THE001 is a thermosensitive liposomal formulation of the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DPPG2-TSL-DOX). It has a different mode of action than conventional liposomes. Thermosome’s technology enables intravascular drug release initiated by a mild heat trigger using clinically established hyperthermia devices. This results in up to 15-fold higher local drug concentrations in the tumor and aims to improve clinical treatment efficacy by creating a local boost at the desired site of action. These high local concentrations, which also reach less well perfused areas, are intended to overcome drug resistance. This effect cannot be achieved by administration of conventional doxorubicin due to systemic toxicity. Thermosome intends to further enhance treatment efficacy through an additive immune response induced by regional hyperthermia. THE001 has potential for further development in other anthracycline-sensitive solid tumors, such as breast, bladder, and ovarian cancer.

About Soft Tissue Sarcomas (STS)
STS is an atypical tumor with a patient population that includes many young patients. Locally advanced STS (LA-STS) are large invasive tumors that are difficult or impossible to resect. Neoadjuvant therapy is used to shrink these tumors preoperatively to allow tumor surgery with curative intent. Free doxorubicin in combination with ifosfamide or dacarbazine has been the gold standard for neoadjuvant therapy of all chemo sensitive LA-STS for several decades. Guidelines also recommend combining DOX-based therapy with regional hyperthermia. However, with response rates of less than 30%, there is a significant unmet need for improved treatment options. Soft tissue sarcomas occur in more than 50 different subtypes, making biologic targeting more difficult than physically controlled targeting with the most active agent. THE001 has been granted European Orphan Drug Designation for STS